Overview & Reviews

Chevrolet sells an impressively wide range of vehicles, from subcompact hatchbacks to huge vans and SUVs. If you're looking for a reasonably priced vehicle, odds are that Chevy will have something to fit your needs.

Chevrolet got its start in 1911. After William C. Durant had been ousted from General Motors, he joined forces with Swiss-born racecar driver Louis Chevrolet to found the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. The company's first offering was the Classic Six. Introduced in 1912, this five-passenger touring sedan could top 65 mph, fast for the time. Chevrolet's storied bowtie logo -- reportedly inspired by the wallpaper of a Paris hotel room that Durant stayed at -- made its first appearance in 1914.

By 1918, Chevrolet's profitability allowed Durant to purchase enough shares in GM to regain control. Chevrolet became another division of GM, and was its largest volume division by the mid-1920s. By 1927, Chevrolet outsold rival Ford, with sales in excess of 1 million units.

In the mid-1930s Chevrolet introduced independent front suspension, which provided a smoother ride over the rough roads of the day. The 1940s saw continued success with affordable coupes, sedans and pickup trucks catering to American families, farmers and businessmen.

By the mid-1950s, Chevrolet, GM's entry-level division, had added a V8 engine, power steering and brakes, power windows and air-conditioning to its list of available features, allowing luxury for those on a tighter budget. Around this time the iconic Bel Air model -- available in coupe, sedan, convertible and wagon body styles -- proved very popular. The company introduced its alluring Corvette in 1953; the vehicle was the first mass-produced car with a fiberglass body.

The 1960s saw the unveiling of the popular, air-cooled Corvair compact, which held the distinction of being the first domestic production car with all-around independent suspension. That decade also witnessed the launch of the compact Nova, the midsize Chevelle and the sporty Camaro, the latter Chevrolet's answer to the wildly successful Ford Mustang. The Camaro proved an instant hit, comprising 10 percent of Chevrolet's total sales in 1967, its first year of production.

In the 1970s, Chevy responded to changing preferences by introducing small cars like the Vega and the Chevette, and by downsizing larger models such as the Caprice and Malibu. The company combated the market domination of foreign nameplates in the 1980s by rolling out the Cavalier. By the end of that decade, trucks and SUVs had started to become increasingly popular with the general consumer, and the brand's mid- and full-size models continue to this day to be some of the most popular on the road.

The '90s and the early 2000s saw the company raising the performance bar with its Corvette (notably the Z06 and, later, ZR1 variants) and reincarnated Impala SS. Chevrolet's Silverado pickup truck and Tahoe/Suburban SUVs continued to be hits as well. By 2010, the Camaro had returned to the lineup after a seven-year hiatus.

Modern times have seen Chevrolet make significant improvements in its small and midsize car models and introduce the Volt plug-in hybrid. The latter provides a nearly 40-mile range on electric power alone, and adds to the company's already well-rounded lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs. Though today's marketplace is very demanding, Chevrolet seems poised to remain a power player through its affordable and innovative vehicles.

User Reviews:

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  Roomy, fresh, with many nice features - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By GreggBoston - November 5 - 9:01 pm

  Decided to move up to a large SUV to accomodate our growing family and have been very pleased. We have an LT3 trim level vehicle with most of the options (sunroof, Nav radio, rear DVD, power liftgate, rear camera, heated seats) white with the tan interior. Rides and handles great on road, not much off road use yet. Front and 2nd row bench seats are reasonably comfortable. 3rd row is fair for adults, good for kids. Nav radio/ rear DVD system works well. Vehicle has some nice touches. For example, dome lamp override keeps the lights off to offload sleeping kids at night, the remote vehicle start during cold weather turns on the seat heaters. Exterior style nicer than its Yukon XL cousin

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  Awesome Avalanche - 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Paul Souza - November 5 - 6:21 pm

  This is by far the best motor vehicle we have purchased. Driving for over 30 years in four season weather the Chevy Avalance is everything we dreamed of. The price was great considering all of the options and versitility this vehicle offers. If you can afford it and need an awesome vehicle this is it!

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  Good truck but some things got to change - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By dustin - November 5 - 5:36 pm

  Had it for 2.5 years since new and I really do love my truck, it runs great and looks great and is comfortable and fun to drive. Plenty of power. Unfortunately there are just some things you dont think about when test driving. The select cloth seats collect lint like crazy, Why in the world would GM use this material. The basic speakers are not very good at all,rattle even at a low volume. Gas mileage is horrible when towing, pulls like a champ though. Had rear main seal replaced at 25k and rotors turned at 35k. side moldings starting to peel off at 45k, Overall I think its a great truck, and I use it like a truck.

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  A satisfied customer - 2006 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Thomas W. Able - November 5 - 10:58 am

  Overall very satisfied with this vehicle. If I were to ask for one thing to be improved upon would be the seats are too hard. Should be improved on to make ride better.

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  2005 Colorado Z71 4x4 - 2005 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Larry Heyen - November 5 - 9:16 am

  It does have a vibration at highway speed. GM says its the tires, so Im about ready to put Goodyears or Michelins. Its had three sets of Generals & didnt fix the problem.

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  First Full Size Pick-Up - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Noru - November 4 - 10:53 pm

  07 LT1 Crew Cab now with 12.5K on it. This is my first full size truck, my trade in was a 06 GMC Canyon Crew Cab, the Canyon was a good truck but it never had enough room inside for me and the family it just got small on us as time went by. The Silverado is big enough with a very nice smooth stable ride. The gas mileage in town is 15 mpg, & 20 mpg on the highway at 70mph. I have the 4.8 engine and Im very pleased with the power and smoothest, the 4-spd auto is sweet also buy it did take about 8K to break in, at first the down shift from second to first gear was harsh at times buy got better as more miles where added. Its has been very reliable with no issue at all.

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  Best US Car Ever - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Carguy - November 4 - 10:36 am

  I just purchased my 06 Malibu in the Dark Metallic Blue. By far the best US car I have owned. The only complaint I have is the lack of longer seat bottoms. I stand almost 6 ft and my knees hang over the edge. Not that comfortable. Other than that I highly reccomend it. The V-6 Is a great performer

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  New Impala better than ever - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By jad22nd - November 4 - 3:36 am

  I traded my 2001 Impala in on a 2006 Impala 2LT. Black w/ ebony cloth interior. The new impala has much better interior dash materials and looks alot better too. The new audio and climate controls are easy to read and understand the the dash is backlit very well.

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  Excellent car for a firstimer! - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By anthony - November 4 - 12:16 am

  After three months of painstaking dilemma, I finally got this car! My first ever car! Looks are great both in and out. Its easy to maneuver, comfortable, very economical, and lots of space inside! I had test driven almost a dozen of cars, but the Chevy had its advantages. Thats why I chose it!

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  A True Performer - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Xygris - November 3 - 8:07 pm

  I have had my TrailBlazer for two years now and I havent had any problems which is surprising as I got the fully loaded version with all the extras except for the DVD and navigation. I thought I would be willing to put up with some problems for the price but I havent had one! My first scheduled maintenance service was at 25,000 miles and only cost me $66. I love the oil life monitor that comes with the onboard computer, because I do not beat on the vehicle. Ive only had to change the oil three times in 25,000 miles. And I do get 15.1 miles city and 17 mpg on the highway because I keep it waxed with nufinish and use the cruise control. I have towed to near its rated capacity with four people.